Drowned
by StylishChocobutt
Summary: There are certainly better places than a -bridge- to encounter a Magitek Dropship. There's also certainly better weather to do so in than a storm. When what should have been an ordinary scuffle goes horrifically wrong and the Prince takes a tumble to the raging depths, Prompto rashly jumps in after him.
1. Early Start

This.. Is quite literally my first ever fanfiction. Ever. Though with countless hours on the game and over twenty other fanfictions currently tabbed on firefox it was only a matter of time before I did this.

You can see this as Promptis if you want.

 **And in that moment of distraction, the only noise that truly stood out amongst the rest was the chilling crash as something hit the raging river below.**

 **Between that and the sound of battle it should have been insignificant but a lack of a certain hot-headed Prince was enough to make Ignis' stomach turn.**

 _bzzt. bzZT.. BZZZZZT._

"-mpto.. Putting it closer.. Won't work.."

The moment even the slightest crack of sunlight had risen over the far hills and around Mount Ravatogh the terrors of the previous night were all but invisible on the land. Iron Giants and Flan alike were pulled back into the deepest depths of the nether and the local wildlife finally began to stir from the cold, drawn out into the warmth of the approaching day. Havens shone quietly like small flecks of light dotted on the landscape and for the most part were often vacant.

Except for one.

 _BZZZZZZZZZZZZT._

"-.. Give up, D-.. Breakfast.. Plat-.."

Despite the drone of inaudible conversation and the incessant buzzing noise it was a cold touch and vibration pushed against his cheek that finally stirred Noctis out of the bliss of his dreams and back to reality. Even before he raised a hand to swat whatever object was being shoved at him away, the Prince could feel the burn in his muscles from several days of hiking, fighting, warping and basically any other strenuous activity he'd been forced to trudge along to in the search for the Royal Tombs. Reaching successfully to his cheek and to the irritating device in question, Noctis managed to shove it away from his face before rolling over onto his side and delving himself deeper into the warmth of his sleeping bag.

Prompto wasn't having that.

"Aww, c'mon dude! It's noon already!" Came the all too familiar whine of the blonde as he shifted position to sit cross legged across from the dozing Prince. How anyone could sleep in this environment was beyond him: the sun cascading on the white material of the tent was positively blinding and even still his phone continued to vibrate in his grasp as he withdrew his attempts of shoving it against Noct's cheek. Ignis had given up trying to rouse the Prince in favour of actually cooking their long overdue breakfast and the energetic blonde was all but ready to do so too as he swiped across his phones screen to cease its constant noise. The tent flap parted and Gladio stepped into view.

"His Royal Lazyness still dozing?" The Shield mused with one eyebrow raised in contemplation at the bundle currently hunched up in the only occupied sleeping bag. Prompto nodded, accompanying the movement with an audible groan of resignation. Both were fully aware that Noctis had pushed himself to the limit in the previous two days but with the camp only just a short drive from Lestallum they really needed to get a move on as to avoid another unnecessary night under the stars.

"Last warning Noct, wouldn't want to add an extra hour on to training." Gladio grinned, stepping forward to nudge at the sleeping bag. The action only earned him a groan and a mumble to be left in peace for another…

What was it? Ah yes, five minutes.

Well, if the Prince wasn't going to go towards the light then the light would have to come to him. Crouching down aside the likely irritated bundle Gladio peered at the small tuft of visible ebony hair that betrayed the younger man's presence within the confines of his warm cocoon before taking a firm grip on the end of the sleeping bag and pulling it – and Noctis – passed a rather surprised Chocobutt, out of the flap of the tent and into the beautiful sunlight of Lucis beyond.

And of course, to add insult to injury he made sure to unzip the sleeping bag even further before exposing the unprepared Prince to daylight.

Through this entire ordeal Noctis did his best to ignore it, attempting to catch the last fleeting z's before what would only be another long day of travelling and fighting. It was only with the sharp movement of his weight and the sudden revelation of the sun did he finally sit up somewhat disorientated and opened his eyes to the light.

The light... and Gladio's rather smug-ass grin as he stood over him.

"Wonderful to see you could finally join us, Noctis. I suppose this means you'll be assisting me in preparing breakfast, all be it a rather late one now?" Ignis remarked from the other side of the long since extinguished campfire. He stood over a small table and had just begun pouring the mornings soup out into bowls when the Shield had finally decided to make his move on sleeping beauty.

"Not likely…" He huffed. Ignis had a habit of attempting to get him to cook and so far, it was a futile chain of events.

Noctis finally pushed himself up to his feet and free of the sleeping bag. Casting one lazy gaze down at it, and then another rather irritated glare towards Gladio he finally settled his sights on Ignis and the array of soup bowls set out before the retainer.

"Didn't need to drag me out here... I only said another five minutes." He murmered, though the retort was loud enough for Gladio to interrupt.

"Three times." He corrected.

"Yeah buddy, you totally said that three times before muscles here had to haul you out!" Came the rather chipper singsong of Prompto behind him as the blonde stepped free of the tent, swinging his arms and practically dancing on his heels as ever. Always a bundle of energy. Still blinking and squinting against the readjustment of light, Noct didn't quite manage to turn around before his best friend had an arm around his shoulder and began tugging him in the direction of the awaiting food.

Prompto only relinquished his grip to skip aside and set himself down in one of the unfolded camp chairs. Noctis soon followed his example, before a bright flash left him blinking even more furiously than he had beforehand.

"Say chocobo!" Prompto announced a tad too late after he pressed his finger down on the camera button, giving his best pal not even the slightest second to prepare himself for the shot.

Ignis rolled his eyes as he approached the two with steaming bowls of soup, which both accepted gratefully. "Prompto, perhaps save the photography for when his Highness is actually awake?" He suggested – eying over the Prince as he rubbed his eyes from the onslaught of light – both natural, and manmade.

"Hah, like that'd give me -any- shots." Prompto grinned, shoving the camera back into his pocket before beginning to dig his way into breakfast. The soup was just as sensational as ever thanks to Ignis.

Gladios finally accepted his bowl and eventually all four were settled into the folded chairs with silence as they chowed down.

After a few minutes Ignis broke the silence. "Lestallum is but a few hours' drive from here and once we get there I highly suggest we set aside some of our reserves to stock up on curatives."

"Any news from the Hunters on the Royal Tombs?" Noctis asked, raising his now-awake gaze from his food to his friends.

"None as of yet, no. We can assume they're continuing to hunt for them as we speak. I believe Lestallum may hold further answers to that which we seek, alongside more adequate-.." Ignis trailed off, turning his gaze to the sky as a single drop of rain broke free from forming clouds.

"Unless you wish to have an early shower, I would suggest we leave as soon as possible." He finished and rose from his seat to cross the camp. Soon enough there was the familiar clatter of plates and pans as he began to tidy them back in to their containers ready to be transported in the Regalia. Gladio soon joined the other male, leaving the two younger members of the party sat around the burned-out fire.

"Yo dude, do y'think we'll get close enough to the Disk to get a few new snaps?" Prompto questioned between mouthfuls of soup, his gaze locked entirely on the Prince.

"I don't see why not. Surprised you haven't filled up the card on that thing by now." Noctis smirked, setting his empty bowl aside.

"Nah, this baby here's going to be famous one day! A record of our epic adventures!" The blonde announced cheerfully, careful to avoid getting rain on the device as he pulled it free from his pocket once more. "I've only taken-.."

A pause.

"Ookay, that's a lot! But there's plenty of space yet, you'll see." He grinned. "Besides! Can't have too many pictures of a man's best bud, can I?"

"Not when I'm this good looking." Noct quickly added, almost surprised at his wit for such an early hour in the afternoon.

It didn't take long for the group to pack up the tents and pack their supplies into the boot of the Regalia and by the time the sun was beginning to dip below its peak they were seating themselves down on the comfortable leather of the vehicle ready for the ride ahead. Prompto had taken the passenger seat and no sooner had he sat down was he fiddling away with the radio stations – much to Ignis annoyance.

Noctis slipped into the back seat and relaxed out his aching body. It was a relief to think the rest of the day would allow him to continue his attempt at a catch up on sleep – he wasn't entirely sure if his hazy senses and aching muscles were quite recovered enough for a fight. As the hood of the Regalia covered them from the rain developing into a drizzle, the Prince let his gaze lazily scan the darkening horizons before leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

He felt the car hum to life and could only imagine the passing grey scenery as they set off to return to Lestallum.

It was a slumber that cradled him all too willingly for the following hours until a rather familiar shout echoed through the car:

"Imperials, above us!"

And Ignis hit the brakes. _Hard._

Hope you all enjoyed it! Honestly just testing the waters here to see if I can portray each character correctly. Totally open for any tips, if you want to help me improve!

 **Next time: The Chocobros get more than they bargained for with an Imperial attack when disaster strikes.**

Chapter'll be on its way soon! Looking forward to writing it out. :'3

\- - Rei, 2017. (Prompto's biggest fan, and all around FFXV obsessed geek.)


	2. A Moment of Distraction

Before you start reading, I'd like to say thanks for all the reviews and favourites!

Now to see if I can write an understandable fight scene. -cracks knuckles-.

The car journey had been entirely uneventful asides from Ignis slapping Prompto's hands away from the radio station with a quick look of irritation from behind his lenses. The blonde was certain a look like that could stop even a Bandersnatch dead in its tracks. Huffing, he returned his hands to his laps and began patting along a tune from one of his video games that had unfortunately gotten itself stuck on a loop in his head. Looking out of the window, he lazily scanned his gaze over an upcoming bridge in their journey paying particular attention to the river below. With the heavy rain that now drummed loudly against the windscreen it was no surprise to Prompto that he could see the water overlapping its banks angrily.

The silence in the car was dragging on and he took it upon himself to break it as he pointed in the general direction of the bridge. "Man, that's an angry looking river. Wouldn't want to take a dip in that, right?"

"I think even despite the storm I'd suggest refraining from doing such. Unless you'd rather lose a leg to an angry crab." Ignis commented, his gaze fixed firmly on the road ahead.

"Whaddya' say we take a souvenir shot?" Prompto carried on, ignoring the elder's words of wisdomly advice. "I mean, it looks pretty cool all angry like that."

Gladio finally looked up from his book. "I'm not sure his Highness here would appreciate the shower."

Sure enough, Noctis was still asleep. Prompto leaned over his chair – despite another sharp look from Ignis for not wearing his seat belt – and peered down at his slumbering pal. His head was lightly rested against the window with condensation forming on the glass at shallow and quiet breaths. Although his form was relaxed in the seat Prompto couldn't help but wonder if Noct's dreams were just as calm and still as he looked.

He hadn't voiced his concern to their travelling companions but rarely a night passed where Noctis didn't rise from his sleep in a fit of fear or rage. No doubt his nightmares were filled with the scenarios of what had happened in Insomnia but Prompto had learned the best policy was to keep still and not question his pal's actions. It hurt that he couldn't do anything about those dreams, or even offer comforting words each time the raven-haired Prince left the tent only to return a short while later.

For the most part, Noctis looked relaxed and blissful as he slept against the hum of the Regalia: but Prompto knew better. He could see the tension in the Prince's clenched fist, loosely led over his lap and yet out of sight for both Gladio and Ignis to spot. He could see the occasional twitch – albeit tiny – that darted across his expression, he could…

"-mpto.. Seats are for sitting in, I believe?" Ignis interrupted the blondes trail of thought, shooting him a third and final glance as he gave his warning.

"Ah! Right, sorry. Sorry." Twisting back in his seat, he sat himself back down.

"Besides, we don't have a spare if your camera breaks. The rain won't do it a hell load of good." Gladio added, finally returning his gaze to the book.

"You really think I'd be that careless?! Dude! It's me!" Prompto whined, mocking horror in his expression.

"Need I remind you of the time you near dropped the device whilst we scaled the ledges of-" Ignis started, his voice as calm and collected as ever.

"Dude, It's -me-." Prompto repeated, grinning away.

"We'll stop on the other side of the bridge if you're so desperate for that snap, Prompto. However I'll personally be remaining in the car, as will Noctis I expect." Ignis finally gave in with a sigh. Though there appeared to be the hint of a smile behind his words. Prompto was passionate about those photographs, and he had to admit the river did look quite interesting- if not entirely dangerous.

"Sweet! This'll be awesome. I'll be quick, I swear. Quicker than a chocobo on greens!" And with that, Prompto dragged his camera free from his pocket once more.

Playing with the settings and fiddling the dial around, the blonde gazed through the viewfinder as he zoomed on the river from the safety of the car. The bridge was only a short distance off.

Even the sky looked angry, with dark patches of greys and blacks mixing in together. Not to mention the approaching-..

Wait, what?

They'd finally arrived on the bridge and were crossing the expanse of road when Prompto shouted out words that quite literally made Ignis' blood run cold.

"Imperials, above us!"

Ordinarily, he supposed he would have carried on driving and hoped to outrun the dropship but it seemed even such luck as that wasn't on their list today. Up ahead they faced an even worse threat. A line of MT's barricaded the upcoming exit of the bridge and with such harsh weather Ignis had mere moments to act on both Prompto's words and the sight before him. Slamming his foot hard on the brakes, he pulled on the steering wheel to lean the regalia into a rather bumpy skid. Prompto was lucky enough he wasn't thrown through the windscreen with the force as even Gladio had to push a foot up against the seat ahead to stop himself from moving.

Luckily the Shield was quick and had managed to push an arm infront of Noctis – who was certainly more than awake by now.

The stop should have lasted but moments, however it certainly felt a lot longer.

Finally, the Regalia halted.

Dropship behind and MT's in front.

They were surrounded.

No words needed to be exchanged as the group quickly exited the vehicle to face the oncoming danger.

Waking up in such a way certainly had Noctis' blood boiling as he set his gaze on the MT's in front of the group. It had been several days since they'd been unlucky enough to come across them. It had taken time since Insomnia's fall and now for the Empire to realise that they'd failed in killing the Prince and thus the weeks between had only had them encountering the odd dropship that was primarily designed for scouting.

This though? This was different.

The moment they were out of the car the MTs activated from where they were stood, wielding both axes and swords alike.

"I suggest we fight with caution, they have an advantage of-.." Ignis started. But with those nightmares still fresh in his mind and a chance to finally hit something that deserved it more than the wildlife they'd been living off… Noctis wasn't listening. There was a familiar buzz of energy; a chilling sensation as he summoned his blade to his grip. Tightening his grasp around the hilt the Prince didn't even spare a moment to glance at his friends. Too caught up in the idea of thrashing the opponents ahead and all too ready to wreck some payback on the Empire for the fall of Insomnia.

For his father.

"What are we waiting for, then?" He remarked, his voice far more stable than he'd expected to hear.

"NOCTIS!"

"Duuude!"

The outcries of his friends faded to all but nothing as he sprinted forward to face the oncoming group. Four MTs. Two assassins, two wielding axes.

Once in a suitable distance he let his blade fly free from his hands. Even as it left his grasp and disappeared in a spark of blues there was still that lingering connection as if he'd never even let go. Noct drew on that very connection before warping right into the middle of the fray.

The moment his hand connected once more to the physical form of his blade instincts told him exactly what to do. Phasing for but a second from reality, he allowed himself to avoid the swing of an axe. Up close MTs were just as horrific as ever – perhaps even worse with the rain and dirt encasing them.

Raising his blade swiftly after the warp resounded in a loud CLANG as it collided against the blade of one of the assassins.

An ear-splitting shot from the distance had the MT to his right crashing to the ground, axe spinning out of its grasp. Prompto wasn't far behind now.

Noctis didn't dare spare a glance back at the fray – but the audible sounds of battle were enough to tell him that it had begun.

Pushing his blade against the other was finally enough to overpower the MT and with a brief switch of stance he sliced straight through the puppet without a second thought. The moment it fell forward he phased through it before delving the blade straight through the stomach – did they have stomachs? – of the second axe-wielding MT behind it.

"Noct rules!" Came the familiar shout of his companion behind him, followed swiftly by another gun shot.

"Focus, Prompto!" Gladio's voice boomed over the fray.

"Right! Totally spac- Woah!" Prompto had glanced back but once and that had been all the MT needed to swing its blade in an alarmingly fast fashion at the blonde. A narrow miss, but too narrow for his liking. He'd been so preoccupied on felling the Prince's opponents that he'd entirely neglected to watch his own back in that moment. Raising the gun in a brief bit of fluster he pulled the trigger.

His shot hadn't been perfect in such a hurry, but sparks flew as the MTs face cracked and pieces of metallic armour flew free.

With a second – and slightly more organised shot – it crashed to the ground.

Gladio returned his gaze back to the fight as Prompto dealt with the MT that he honestly should have seen coming from a mile away. With his back to Ignis, he eyed up the group of MTs that had been smart enough to circle and trap the two Crownsguard.

"We cannot afford to be split up like this. Find yourself an opening and get to the Prince's side." Ignis instructed. Noctis had always been rash with fighting, but neither of them had expected such a reckless warp.

Greatsword in hand, Gladio waited as the MTs advanced – attempting to shrink the circle they'd been programmed to execute, no doubt – before stepping forward. Raising the blade over his shoulder he let it swing back down in an arc, crashing over the metallic soldiers and destroying a good three or four in one fell swoop.

Ignis' lance dispatched the rest – one trapped and skewered on the end of the weapon as the Retainer pulled it free before dispatching the following two in much the same way. "Now, Gladio!"

He didn't need to be told twice. The Shield began carving his way through the countless MTs towards his Prince. His hot-headed, reckless Etros damned Prince.

Noctis brought his blade down on another MT and used the momentum of the parry to flip backwards and away from the fray. Grabbing a flask from his reserves he tossed it forward into the unfortunate group of machines and watched exhaustedly as the fire erupted and engulfed four of them. The remainder were left burned and singed but still very much 'alive'.

Exhaustion was catching up to him with the previous rush of adrenaline seeping out of his system. The shock of Ignis braking the car and the sight of the MTs had left him momentarily forgetting just how spent his energy was.

Phasing through an attack from behind just at the last moment he spun on his heels to stare down another group of three MTs.

Was this ever going to end?

Letting the sword slip from his grasp and fizzle into the blue lights of subspace Noctis quickly replaced it with a greatsword. Raising it up and dropping it in an arc on the approaching group, the MTs collapsed in a heap of sparks and smoke.

The more they killed, the harder visibility was becoming between the onslaught of rain and growing smoke.

He could still see Prompto a short distance away and Gladio had been approaching, though he presumed the Shield had been caught up in a new fight as he could no longer see him. Prompto continued to shoot off bullets with nearly every one hitting with a surprising amount of accuracy. What the blonde failed to see was an approaching MT from his right raising its blade as the gunslinger continued to shoot off to his left.

"Prom! Three o' clock!" Noctis shouted: a warning, at best.

The blonde turned and shot without hesitation at the words. He wasn't surprised to see the MT drop in a heap before it had a chance to hit. Dispatching the following two just as swiftly, he turned with a cheesy grin on his face to shout his appreciation across to Noctis…

But the words hitched in his throat and his face fell.

Noctis watched as the MT crashed to the ground under fire from the gunslinger. Relief rippled through him as he watched Prompto turn his gun on one of the previous MTs that had been assaulting him.

What Noctis failed to see was that in saving the bumbling blonde he'd entirely let his guard down from ranged attacks.

Not far off an MT turned and set its sights on the Prince of Lucis. Raising one mechanical arm, small clicks were audible as the weapon within loaded and locked on to its target.

And fired.

One moment he'd been ready to draw his weapon back to his grasp and then the next; Noctis' world erupted in absolute pain. Agony ripped through him as something latched on to his side from behind. He was near sure he'd cried out – though the sound was completely dulled by the pounding in his ears and the throbbing of his head.

Knees threatening to buckle beneath him the Prince refused to be felled so easily. It felt as if every nerve in his body was on fire and buzzing uncontrollably. Despite all the agony he forced himself to look down.

It was as if time had slowed to an absolute crawl. He was vaguely away of an agonised shout from Prompto but it sounded so far off all of a sudden.

Protruding from his side – and currently connected to an MT – was a wired blade that was designed specifically to stay latched in the depths of his skin. A horrific wound, but not the worst part. Stupidly in this situation he could even recall Ignis' warning from the first time they'd encountered it:

"A rather deadly weapon indeed. Not for the wound it creates but for the MTs apparent ability to surge waves of electricity through it, likely preventing you from warping, so I would remind you to keep your eyes open for the longer ranged artillery, Highness."

So, all he had to do was rip it free from his side.

Ignis was going to berate him for wasting potions later on an avoidable wound.

It was a miracle that in that brief moment his thoughts were so collected. Grabbing a hand over the electrified weapon Noctis pulled it free with another cry of agony as it ripped through the muscles in his side.

Blood spilled freely and splashed over the stone structure below as Noctis stumbled backwards.

The stone wall of the bridge met his back and he could go no further.

MTs continued to advance. The world was still spinning and going in slow motion. A side effect of the wound?

Instincts kicked in as he materialised his sword once more from subspace, weakly bringing it up to successfully parry the attack of an MT that Noctis was sure had been a good few metres away a moment before.

Time was disjointed. His head throbbed. He felt numb and hazy.

The MT continued to push its blade down on his and to his horror he felt the already cracked wall behind him begin to give way.

Blades still pushing together Noctis spared a look to the side. Gladio would have berated him for it: taking his eye off the obvious enemy that was trying to kill him.

Prompto was mid run across the bridge, ducking out of the way of an oncoming barrage from an MT. The blondes desperate gaze was entirely on Noctis though the chance of landing a successful shot on an MT from that range was unlikely with the smoke.

Gladio wasn't far behind the blonde, sweeping his blade to clear another set of MT's. There were barely any left but still enough to cause a problem for the group.

Ignis was furthest away, too caught up in striking down an MT to realise that the other two had sped off.

The wall gave way under the impact as a second MT brought its blade down on Noctis' own. Parrying both of them should have been quite a feat, but it wasn't one he was going to get to brag about to Gladio.

Suddenly he was falling.

Falling.

Falling.

A shout in the distance?

There was a fresh crash of pain as his body collided with something.

Prompto had expected to turn with relief once he'd dispatched the three MTs thanks to Nocts warning. What he didn't expect was the sickening feeling of absolute horror that rose up in the pits of his stomach upon setting his sights on his best friend. The agony on Nocts' expression wasn't something the blonde was going to forget easily.

Breaking off into a sprint he rose his gun ahead of him. The smoke and debris on the bridge made it near impossible to get a clear shot of the MTs currently assaulting the Prince. One had Noctis pinned under an ongoing parry of blades, the other was raising its blade to bring it down.

Noctis managed to parry both. That was good. All he needed to do was get a few steps closer.

He was vaguely aware of just how much his heart was pounding against his chest and that was only because he felt it skip a beat in horror.

The bridge wall collapsed under the weight of the fight.

Noctis vanished from sight.

One MT fell too, but the second one collapsed in a heap on the stone ground.

"NOCT!"

The shout that broke through his lungs was enough to deafen a chocobo. Strained, and full of the horror and regret that he hadn't managed to get close enough in time.

Full of the regret that this…

This had been his fault.

He'd been distracted and Noctis had paid the price.

His best friend was going to die because Prompto had been too stupid to keep an eye on his surroundings.

Without a second thought Prompto reached the broken edge of the bridge. Dropping his gun, it de-materialised as he launched himself over the side. He could see the disturbance in the waves below where Noctis had just hit them.

He had to save him.

That was his duty as a Crownsguard.

No, that was his duty as his best friend.

Does anyone else hate it when you're fighting and one of the MTs latches on to you? Yup, I hate that.

Comments appreciated as I'd really like to learn what you guys think of the way this is written. Still looking to improve!

Next chapters on it's way!


	3. Pulled Under

Sorry it's so late!  
Honestly, it might have been even later. Like an idiot, I left my USB in the library after working on my dissertation and had to walk back in the dead of night to retrieve it - along with the first part of this chapter.  
This one was -super- hard to write! I hope it's okay ;w;

OOOOOOOOO

The sensation of falling had been all too brief before the solid mass of raging currents below collided with the flat of his back. Any thoughts of warping were all but jumbled as the Prince was pulled under the clashing, angry water. A panicked breath was all it took for water to invade his lungs, his body jerking involuntarily in shock as he desperately and futilely grabbed for his throat with frozen hands. The action was pointless. Clamping his mouth shut and closing his eyes against the water he knew that -somehow- he needed to break for the surface. Fast.

Kicking both feet out against the bottom of the river, Noctis attempted to push himself up towards where he could just about make out the occasional ripple of light that darted across what he could only presume was the surface of the water; catching the blaze of lightning that had previously been striking in sheets above the group. Easier said than done however, as the currents were more than desperate to tug him down stream. It didn't quite occur to him that they -should- already be tugging him downstream.

In growing panic, he considered warping yet that required concentration and a lack of disorientation. Plus he wasn't sure he wanted to risk choking in any more water should it go wrong. Despite the Crystals power being inherent, he'd learned the hard way that warping recklessly often lost him his lunch. A few more desperate kicks and…

It became rather painfully clear why he wasn't being pulled downstream.

Something cold, colder than the water around, had wrapped itself around the Prince's leg. Sparing a glance back down to the limb any previous hope diminished immediately.

Despite the murkiness of the water two glowing red eyes were plain to see in the silt and mud below him. That, and a metallic hand that was all too conveniently clamped around his ankle.

Death by drowning. Or death by MT. Noctis wasn't sure which one was worse.

He continued to kick out at the machine in a mixture of desperation and panic. Each kick only layered a newfound exhaustion onto him and gradually he was reduced to merely squirming in the MTs solid grasp.

Black and red spots darted across his vision as the currents pulled him this way and that – never quite strong enough to tear him free from the MT below but certainly enough to batter him.

He'd given a chew toy to Umbra once when he'd been younger.

A sort of 'thanks for traipsing half way across the countries with the notebook' gift.

Umbra had proceeded to rag and throw the toy around in delight.

In some ridiculous way Noctis felt like that chew toy. His thoughts were unconnected and had begun to grow groggy. The water around him bashed and knocked his form yet the MT refused to give up.

Finally, he couldn't hold his breath any longer. Gasping and thrashing anew as water surged into his lungs, bubbles rose where there should have been a shout or scream. His vision only continued to darken and in the midst of his consciousness slipping he felt the MTs grasp tighten further on his leg. Perhaps if they'd been on land, this would be the point he'd hear a snap – alas, so far submerged beneath the water the sounds of the currents around him were reduced to nothing but a low irritating hum.

Just before he floated deathly still in the MTs grip, Noctis was sure the water above him lit briefly with specs of blue and white light. Strange. Was this what they meant by 'going to the light'?

Everything faded to darkness.

OOOOOOOOOO

Prompto really hadn't thought things through. Sure, he'd spent the majority of his college years on the track team and had won plenty of medals over the years for his running, but none of that was enough to prepare him for just how strong the current of the river was. Angling his body to a dive the moment his feet had left the broken bridge, he managed to spare himself any broken bones on the way down.

Lucky, really. Ignis would kill him for wasting any more potions than necessary. His habits of tripping in the heat of battle, or simply dropping the supplies had become somewhat of a camp-joke for the group.

The water separated easily enough around the blonde as he plunged into it. Keeping his eyes open despite the sting of the stirred-up mud and silt he tried to right himself in the water momentarily. A crash of current into his body was enough to destroy any hopes of this being a simple rescue. Thrown downstream almost immediately, he shifted his body into the direction that the river was so desperate to throw him.

Perhaps it was all those video games, or even the training he'd received under Cor before leaving the Citadel, but a flash of red caught his gaze despite the circumstances and his body acted almost involuntarily.

Grabbing out as he was thrown past the unknown mass, he could have cried out with relief as his arm wrapped around Noct's familiar form. He kept his mouth clamped shut however as such would probably have gotten them both killed. Even in the murky water he could see that the Prince was barely conscious – if at all.

With time being of the essence – and fear in the pit of his stomach continuing – Prompto tried to kick them both away from the bank to the surface only to find that Noct's leg had snagged on something below.

Something shiny, with red eyes, and apparently quite the programming.

The MT was lodged between the murky mud below and two large rocks. Its grasp was much of a death-grip around Noctis' leg and with sickening realisation Prompto noted just how tight that grip was.

Materialising his gun to his hand, flashes of blue and white sparks darted across the water around him before being swept downstream. Aiming down at the MT below he pressed the shaft of the weapon against the creatures lifeless and demonic eyes before pulling the trigger. The metal cracked and buckled under the weight of the point-blanc bullet before the MT disintegrated from existence.

If he hadn't been submerged, freezing and running out of time to hold his breath – Prompto would have definitely cheered some pointless RPG victory tune there.

That, and with the two suddenly released from the MT they were now entirely at the mercy of the river and its currents.

Water crashed harshly into the two of them as Prompto let his gun drop away from his grasp. Holding tightly to Noctis, he managed to wrap both arms around him.

Yeah.

He hadn't thought this through in the slightest.

Harshly thrown around in the currents he did his best to kick out at the water to thrust the two of them upwards to the surface. Each effort took an increasing amount of strength out of him as the waves continued to pull the two of them back under – crashing them against fallen debris and the odd rock – before finally he managed to break free to the surface of the water. Gasping desperately for breath he had but a mere moment before being pulled back under again.

The growing disorientation was horrific and he wasn't even sure which way the surface was, with the two being tossed around like leaves on a breeze. Eventually his burning lungs forced him to take a reluctant breath.

Watching those bubbles disappear further into the murky waves, darkness consumed his vision.

Don't let go-..

Don't let-..

Don't..

OOOOOOOO

The MT crashed to the ground and disintegrated into a mess of red and black smoke. Ignis didn't wait around to assess any damage he'd received under the absolute endless array of blades that he'd endured for the past Etros-knows how many minutes.

"NOCT!"

The high-pitched yell of fear from the blonde was something far too recognizable by this point. Usually it was nothing. The Prince had a habit of pulling off reckless moves that sent the blonde into a fluster and more often than not things resolved themselves. But there was something far more urgent to this yell which set his teeth on edge as he rose his daggers to parry the oncoming blade of one of the few remaining MTs that continued its assault. Gladio had been halted in his run to the Prince not far off and was tackling down two MTs. His movements were reckless, Ignis could see that even at a glance. Gladio had a habit of berating Noctis for his constant self-endangering moves and yet the Shield seemed to be taking little care for his opponents as he pushed towards-

And in that moment of distraction, the only noise that stood out amongst the rest was the chilling crash as something hit the raging river below. Between that and the sound of battle it should have been insignificant but the lack of a certain hot-headed Prince was enough to make Ignis' stomach turn. Even Gladio's expression had turned to that of horror.

A second crash hit the water.

"PROMPTO!" Gladio's voice boomed across the bridge and Ignis found his mind reeling as he pieced together the bits of information he could grab whilst fighting off the persistent MT that currently had its sights set on him. Dismissing his daggers and taking a rather swift step back to avoid the crash of the axe in front of him, he drew his spear from the Crystal and impaled the machine before tossing it aside.

The bridge had fallen eerily silent despite the tumult of weather above them. Gladio had paused for but a moment at the side of the bridge before sprinting to the opposite – face uncharacteristically pale.

Stepping over to the edge Ignis couldn't help but let his gaze settle on the crashing and roaring river below them. He had to push back the thoughts of just how little a chance the two stood in currents like that, his voice coming out detached and stern as he turned to Gladio.

"I'm going to ask you to tell me that those two didn't just throw themselves from the bridge." Wishful thinking, and a rather useless hopeful thought.

Gladio's fist collided hard with the stone of the wall as he stared down the river.

That was enough of an answer.

"We should search the surrounding banks. Noctis should have been able to warp free-" Ignis started.

"Hell, the kid wasn't warping anywhere!" Gladio snarled, though the tone seemed to be directed more at himself than Ignis. "Practically dead on his feet after those hunts."

An un-nerving silence settled over the pair as they watched the deadly river below.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Aaahhh, I can't wait to write the next one.  
Poor Prompto and Noctis ;w;  
Ignis and Gladio just stood there like 'well shit' in shock ahaha.


	4. Metaphorical Ocean

**Thanks for the continued support and reviews! I adore reading what you have to say. Pointers are always appreciated. I won't lie, I sit and refresh that review page far too often to be considered healthy. 3**

The first sensation Prompto began to wake to was far from pleasant. A sharp and burning pain enveloped his lungs and constricted his breathing, immediately causing panic to dance through his groggy thoughts. Each breath he tried to take felt as if a behemoth was stood on his chest restricting it – Okay, that was a slight exaggeration, he supposed. Perhaps a Garula instead. All the blonde wanted to do was to fall back into whatever oblivion had kept him from this pain in the first place, as with every waking moment the sensation only continued to grow and ache.

It appeared however that such a luxury wasn't going to be an option. A choked groan left his lips as he began to shift position – vaguely aware that he'd found himself now led on his chest. Both his arms and legs refused to function and felt unnaturally disobedient as he pushed against the ground. The land underneath him slipped and slid with his movements, leaving him to concede his efforts to move. Besides, the mud served as a far better pillow than the Havens the group had become more than accustomed to.

Wait. Mud? Hadn't he just been in the Regalia? A vague memory served to tell him that he'd wanted to take a photograph of the river.

The river.

The fight.

Noct.

A flash of remembrance was enough for renewed efforts of waking. He'd made such a stupid mistake, perhaps even two, and the image of Noct falling to the unforgiving river was all too vivid in his mind. Far too vivid for a bad dream. With the newfound panic and realisation Prompto finally forced his body to co-operate and shifted his weight over onto his back before straining his eyes open.

Drops of rain struck heavily against his freckled cheeks as he squinted at the mess of blurs and greys above him. Darkness danced around his vision, along with little distracting bright lights that vanished if he tried to set his gaze solely on them. Along with his sight, his hearing slowly began to return and the blonde was immediately aware of just how close to the river he still was. The water thrashed and crashed against the mud, subsequently soaking the bottom half of his legs. Had he dragged himself free from the water?

He didn't have time to ponder it. Why was he even trying to do so anyway? His thoughts immediately returned to dread – he recalled grabbing a hold of Noct under the water before the two of them had been swept away.

Had he let go?

Chest thumping in a mixture of fear and horror at the thought, he pushed his weight one last time before planting his hands against the mud and attempting to get to his hands and knees. No sooner had he completed the action did his vision take a rather stomach-churning lurch and spin of vertigo. Lights continued to dance across his gaze as he squeezed his eyes shut from the newfound pain in his head. It was a miracle he hadn't lost his lenses to the currents.

"..ct?" His voice was raspy and entirely lacking the usual playful whine he'd come accustomed to using. Not only that, but forcing the words from his burning throat only resulted in a pathetic croaking whisper.

"Noct?" Prompto tried again, forcing his eyes back open once more and finally allowed himself to take in his surroundings. As expected, he'd washed up on the river bank – though he doubted the bridge was anywhere in sight and wasn't about to test his manoeuvrability to try and see if he could spot it in the distance.

He could make out the bank stretching down along the roaring river. The clouds above were still dark and it wouldn't be long before night hit – bringing with it a whole new set of threats. Scanning his gaze along the shore of broken pieces of trees and dislodged stones, he finally settled on a blurred shape not too far in the distance.

If he'd been panicking before – there wasn't a word for the absolute pit that formed in his stomach with the realisation of what he was seeing.

He could recognize the Prince's dark attire anywhere.

"Noct! Oh no- no no-.." Pushing himself rather haphazardly to his feet he stumbled across the mud in the direction of where Noctis led deathly still against the sand. Even Prompto's shout didn't encourage any movement.

He slipped. Crashing to the mud all but momentarily, pure desperation and fear got him back to his feet in mere seconds as he finally reached Noct's side. Dropping to his knees aside his friend, if it was even possible Prompto felt himself pale even further.

He wasn't breathing.

Even on an average day Noctis was pale – but apparently there was a stark difference between pale and lifeless. Nearly all the colour had drained from the male's skin and it didn't take much to see why. Prompto's hand was slick against the mud as he moved quickly and carefully to turn Noctis onto his back – realising with horror as he drew his hand away that it was sodden with a mix of mud and-…

Blood?

A glance to the mud around was enough to further freak him out. Stained dark red around Noct's side.

"Oh Six, Noct.." He breathed, the sound alone shaky and unnatural. "No no no, you can't do this-.." He started, trying desperately to recall what Ignis had drummed into his head before they'd left about situations like this. "C'mon buddy-.. Now's -really- not a good time to be napping.." He chimed futilely as he turned Noct's head to the side briefly to allow any water to drain from his mouth. That had been a step, right? Panicked thoughts were certainly overtaking logical ones, and Prompto refused to listen to those.

Several Months Earlier – Before the Fall of Insomnia

"I do wish the two of you would take this seriously for but a moment." Ignis groaned, moving a hand to push his glasses up his nose. It was a habitual action when he was stressed. Palms flat against the counter of Noctis' apartments kitchen, he watched on with dismay as the Prince threw himself down onto the couch and shoved his face into one of the nearest pillows.

"You're teaching us survival techniques?" Prompto recalled, trying to focus once more on the retainer across the counter.

Noct, still face first in the cushion, let out a rather audible groan of annoyance. "Insomnia's lacking an ocean, specs."

"That it may indeed, however a King – and his associates – should be prepared for all incidents regardless of the probability." Ignis continued whilst shoving the book in his hands towards Prompto who flicked it open with mild interest. "Considering your ability to fall asleep in the most inconvenient of locations, I would not put it past you to fall asleep in a swimming pool."

Prompto laughed at that. "He's got you there Noct."

The sound of something hitting the floor just behind him brought the blondes attention away from the book as he gazed down at a rather out-of-place pillow.

"…Please refrain from throwing the furniture around too, your Highness." Ignis remarked – his emotions so easily hidden behind his usual poker face as he stepped forward to retrieve the pillow previously aimed at Prompto.

Replacing the pillow on the sofa, he returned to his previous spot behind the counter. "Should one of you manage to drown yourself in a metaphoric ocean, and by the Six I do hope that never happens, then I suppose both of you know what to do in such a situation?"

"Warp." Came the muffled response from the Prince.

"Warping requires a stable mind without disorientation or panic – and I'm afraid drowning includes neither of those things." Ignis replied before setting his gaze on Prompto who had paused in his flicking of pages.

And his cheeks had coloured considerably.

Had this not been a serious lesson, Ignis supposed the sight of the flustered blonde would have been rather amusing. He'd clearly found the page with the answers.

"T-This?! Surely this is like, I don't know-.. Treason or something? I mean! If it were me then-.. No, even that!" Prompto stuttered.

Ah, the joy of being young again, Ignis mused. "I can assure you resuscitation is -not- treason, Prompto."

That had been enough to persuade the Prince to his feet as he stepped over from the abandoned sofa to glance over Prompto's shoulder at the page that had left him in such a panicked fluster. Perking a brow at the diagrams, Noctis couldn't help but smirk before offering a rather encouraging fist bump to Prompto's side.

"I'll stay out of any metaphorical oceans, then. Easy fix, right specs?"

"If only it were that simple, your Highness…" Ignis sighed. This conversation was clearly lost on the both of them. "Regardless, there are chapters detailing situations for most injuries and afflictions. I suggest you pay strong attention in particular to chapter seven, twelve and fourteen."

Present Day

That had seemed like such an innocent joke to the two of them, and Noctis had teased him for days afterwards over his childish reaction to the suggestion. As such, Prompto found reality to be much different and entirely lacking in that flustered hesitation he'd displayed prior. Hands still shaking slightly – either from the cold setting in to his bones, or the pure fear set on from seeing his friend like this – Prompto carefully angled Noctis' head back. He needed to act fast. Pressing his fingers gently against Noct's wrist, he felt a small piece of relief flourish within him as he felt the weak but very much apparent rhythm of a pulse. He knew from that dreaded book however that a pulse without breathing wouldn't last long at all.

Moving his free hand to pinch Noct's nose Prompto wasted no time in pressing his mouth to the Prince's, breathing once.

Twice.

Three times.

Four times.

Pulling away, he let his gaze move to Noct's chest – desperation plain on his expression as he prayed to the Six to see movement.

"C'mon Noct-.. Really don't want to have to explain to Gladio that I killed the Prince.." Prompto laughed shakily. "Plus dude, totally got that er-.." His words caught in his throat briefly, a brief sound of a suppressed sob as he regained his composure. "That er, score on Kings Knight to beat me at.." He was rambling and his tone increased in worry as there still wasn't any sign of a breath.

Nothing.

Feeling for the pulse once more only proved to find it weaker.

Without a second thought to it, Prompto moved to repeat the previous action – his hand gripping against Noct's arm with growing panic and dreaded realisation.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

He pulled away.

What if he didn't wake up? What if his actions really had cost the Prince his life? He'd been stupid to think that a month or so worth of training put him at the ability to be able to protect Noct. He was quick with a gun, but far too clumsy on his feet and abysmal with any other weapon he tried. His perception was high, but his strength far below average unlike Gladio. He certainly didn't have Ignis' smarts either. He was a fool to-…

Movement.

Noctis immediately jerked and choked against a breath of his own and Prompto quickly helped him lie to his side as he coughed up the water that had been blocking his lungs. His hands were shaking – but this time it was from utter relief.

"Noct! Woah, okay buddy, try and hold steady a sec!" He pleaded, especially as the reckless Prince attempted to sit up. Either it was exhaustion, or he'd actually listened to the blonde, but he led back against the mud as his chest heaved with breath- with Etros damned breath!

"So much for-" Noct started, coughing and continuing. "-treason." He smirked, and even Prompto had to laught at the stupidity of it. He'd nearly died and within moments of regaining consciousness he was already taunting the blonde.

That smirk didn't last nearly long enough as feeling began to return to the Prince. Feeling, and pain. Lots of it. Prompto could tell immediately by the groan that escaped Noct's lips – his hand falling limply to his side momentarily.

"Dude, no sleeping- It's still treason if you kick the bucket. They'll throw me in jail or something, and I don't think prison food compares to Ignis cooking." Prompto rambled as he shrugged his ripped jacket free from his shoulders. He was shivering against the cold, but knew Noct's wellbeing came before his own.

His joke didn't get much of a response.

"Pretty sure they don't allow phones either, can't have me falling behind on Kings Knig-.. Noct?" Prompto's brow furrowed as he noticed the pained expression on his pal's face. He'd passed out from the extremity of his wounds – that much was obvious.

They weren't safe yet.

Night was falling, and potions didn't grow on trees.

Reaching into the pocket of his shredded jacket, he retrieved a rather sodden and ruined phone. He pressed down on the button on the side to activate the screen.

Nothing.

Dropping the useless device down to the mud, he returned his attention to Noctis. They had no way of telling where they were, or how long it would take for Ignis and Gladio to find them. Folding his jacket over in his hands, the blonde muttered an apology towards his friend – face pained with the thought of what he was about to do.

"Sorry dude, this is going to hurt... A lot, probably." Carefully with his free hand Prompto pried up the Prince's shirt to see the extent of the wound in his side. Blood still flowed freely and spilled over his hands as he tried to detach the shirt from the mangle of skin. Once he could get a decent view of the wound, he retrieved his jacket before pushing it gently against Noct's side.

Biting down on the realisation of the fact he was about to cause a serious amount of pain to Noct, Prompto pressed down with the material hard against the wound.

The cry of pain that followed wasn't something the blonde was going to be able to forget in a hurry. Almost immediately Noct thrashed out against the action, forcing Prompto to lean against his chest to try and keep him still with his free arm.

"Noct! You've gotta' hold still buddy!" He pleaded, desperation lining his tone along with guilt. Guilt that he was the one that had caused all of this. Guilt that he was continuing to cause Noct pain.

By some miracle, perhaps the Prince had heard the underlying tones to his voice. Grasping his fist against the mud below, Noctis certainly did his best to stop moving as per Prompto's instructions. An agonising amount of time passed before the blonde figured it would be safe to assume he'd stemmed most of the bleeding. Using his free hand, he pulled his belt free from the loops in his jeans.

In the absence of potions, this would have to do.

Securing the belt around Noct, he pressed and tightened his jacket in place against the wound.

"Still with me, buddy?"

"Mmf-.."

Not quite the coherent response, but better than the prior silence. Carefully Prompto moved to hoist Noct up to his feet and draped one arm around his shoulder to better support him. He barely weighed anything – something Gladio often commented on whenever they needed to pull the slumbering Prince from the tent.

Noctis leaned heavily into the support, and groaned at the movement of his left leg. The MT had done quite a number on it.

"Right.. Let's find somewhere out of this rain – It's totally ruining my hair." Prompto remarked, intending for his voice to contain the usual light tone. It didn't, but Noct didn't seem to notice – grimacing against the movement as the two began to trudge forward in the mud towards the rocks further up the bank.


	5. Disorientation

**Thanks again for all the support! I'm so mean to these guys. I'm going to hell for it. ;w;**

There was no doubt about it. The Regalia wasn't going anywhere. No matter how many times Ignis turned the key in the ignition, the defeated drone of the vehicle wasn't picking up to the majestic sound the two Crownsguard were used to. If he listened hard enough there was even a rather disconcerting rattling sound in the engine.

Through a mixture of the dreadful weather and the onslaught of MTs it was a miracle that he could get a sound out of it at all.

"No luck?" Gladio questioned as he returned to the car. Ignis was leant over the driver's door and his irritated expression was likely more than enough to answer his worries. The two of them needed to press on and search the river but with night falling and the Regalia out of commission it didn't seem like they were going anywhere anytime soon.

He just had to hope Prompto and Noctis weren't in too much trouble. He could still access his weapons – albeit with slight more effort required than usual – which was enough to tell him the Prince was at least alive.

A moment passed before Ignis collected his thoughts enough to answer. The usual analytical tone lined his words as a barrier to the emotion they held. Now wasn't the time to dwell on the countless possibilities of the pairs fate.

"I believe our rush to return to Lestallum left us neglecting the Regalia for a moment too long. Our best option would be to contact Cindy and have her tow it to the nearest garage. If memory serves correct, there is one a few miles ahead."

Neither of the pair were discussing the more pressing situation at hand out loud. Nor did they need to. Gladio's lips had been pressed in a tight, thin line ever since the end of battle and Ignis suspected that the Shield had been mere thoughts away from the idea of diving in after both Prompto and Noctis when the bridge had given way.

Only receiving a grunt of agreement from the male, Ignis proceeded to retrieve his phone from his pocket and slid a finger up the screen before tapping on the contacts icon. His favourites were listed at the top in a rather gut-wrenching order:

Noctis.

Prompto.

Gladio.

For a moment, he let his finger hang over the scroll bar before thinking better of it and pressing down on the first name on the list. The chances of Noctis' phone surviving the water was slim, but certainly a possibility he had to explore.

Each dull ring of the phone attempting to connect felt like an eternity. His heart near skipped a beat as the tone changed- only to be replaced with an all too familiar voice mail:

"Hey. Leave a message or something, I'll get back to you as soon as I can-.." Noctis' voice started, only to be cut off by Prompto in the background: "Yeah buddy, unless you're sleeping!"

"Prompto, shut _up_!"

"Dude, it's totally true though! You're always-" Came the gut-wrenchingly familiar whine of the blonde before being cut off entirely.

Gladio must have noticed the change in his expression for he'd moved to lean against the door of the car next to Ignis. "Those kids'll be fine. Prompto's a pretty athletic guy and Noct is too stubborn to for his own good. Reckon the little shits are on their way back here as we speak." He concluded with a rather smug – but entirely forced – grin. It was an attempt to alleviate Ignis' worries but if anything the reality of the situation only set in further.

Pressing down on Prompto's name on the contact list, he raised the phone once more to his ear.

Dial tone.

Dial tone.

Voice mail.

"Hey dude, or dudette I guess, like is that even a word? So, I'm totally not at the phone right now, but try again in an hour or something!" Prompto's voice chimed through the device.

Ignis hung up the call and moved a hand to push his glasses up his nose. It had been a small hope indeed to think that their phones had survived the chill of the river but that didn't make it any less disappointing to be handed that confirmation.

Finally he scrolled down the list before dialling Cindy. She picked up almost immediately.

"Well if it isn't my favourite group of royal hunters! What can I do for ya'll?" Came the usual enthusiastic greeting on the other end of the phone. More often than not, they found themselves calling her from Ignis' phone and she'd come to expect to hear the banter of all four of them on the other end.

"I apologise for calling you at such a late hour, but we've hit quite the predicament. You see-" Ignis began to explain, only to be rather swiftly cut off with a laugh.

"Ya've gone and busted up the ol' girl again, haven't ya? Ya'll need ta stop lettin' that blonde behind the wheel." Sure enough, Prompto had been the cause of two crashes so far. But still, the mention of him only further sobered Ignis' mood.

He nodded, aware she couldn't see such an action. "I'm afraid so, though our situation is quite a bit more complicated than that."

Perhaps there was something unintended to his tone but he could feel the peppy mechanics mood shift rather dramatically. "Complicated, ya' say? Well, where abouts are ye?"

And thus, Ignis proceeded to drag a map free from the glove compartment in the front. Opening it up it didn't take long for him to find the bridge in question as he read out the coordinates to her.

Gladio paced up and down the short, ruined area of bridge as Ignis explained the situation before finally letting his gaze rest back on the river below. It continued to rage without mercy, and even he felt the brief pang of fear for the pair. No. He couldn't let it get to him. Shoving that moment of weakness aside, he knew that emotions would only get in the way of judgement right now. Regardless of how much the two wanted to go after their fallen comrades there were more practical issues to consider.

Firstly, their supply of curatives was running horrendously low. Chances are Noctis or Prompto were injured and saving the potions they had left would be the best course of action. Of course, that also meant it would be far too dangerous to be searching around in the dead of night at the risk of being surrounded by deamons.

Involuntarily the Shields fist curled up at his side as he glared literal daggers into the murky depths below. He was supposed to be the Prince's shield, and yet he'd been caught up in battle too far away from him to help when he'd needed it most. It was both a failure at his role and as a friend.

Ignis' approaching steps broke him free of those thoughts. "Cindy shall retrieve the Regalia and I've requested her aid in contacting any hunters nearby to keep an eye out for Prompto and his Highness." He explained, before unfolding the map once more and indicating to their location.

"There is a haven just south from here further down the river. I suggest we start by heading there and continue our search in the morning."

A pause.

"I am as eager to find them as you are, Gladio, but we simply cannot risk wandering across an Iron Giant or worse in our current condition." He must have been able to see the brief moment of object in Gladio's gaze, for the latter part of his explanation was added quite hastily.

"Better get moving then." He nodded, in reluctant agreement. They still had access to their weapons and he was sure he'd at least feel –something- if Noctis was in peril. Or... He hoped he would.

Leaving the Regalia behind, the two carefully made their way across the rest of the bridge before descending down to the river bank.

They walked in silence, neither voicing their thoughts of dread aloud. Gladio was only aware of just how much time had passed when the last bit of light slipped away from the sky leaving the two to flick on their torches.

"This'd be about the moment the kid'd be yelling 'illuminate' or something dorkish." Gladio mused as he recalled the blonde's terrible and nerdy sense of humour.

A low chuckle left Ignis' lips at the recollection – finding the sound to be both out of place and comforting in their current predicament.

"I must admit, the silence without the two of them here is rather unsettling to say the least." Ignis observed, glancing once over to his companion. He could see even in the low light just how tight Gladio's jaw was set; how his shoulders were rigid and the pure determination in his steps.

"His Highness sure knows how to pick his friends."

"You're telling me. Took guts to throw himself in after Noct like that." There was admiration amidst the worry in Gladio's voice – something Ignis doubted he'd ever show in front of the blonde in question.

Absently Ignis couldn't help but think back to the first time he'd encountered Prompto. The boy had been sheepishly stood behind Noctis at the school gates, satchel swung over his shoulder as he attempted to avoid any and all eye contact with anything but the floor. Still, he'd worn a goofy grin on his expression every time Noctis had addressed him. Initially Ignis had been worried about Prompto's motivations at first. Far too many students saw befriending the Prince as a quick way to advance their status and wealth. But seeing the two lounge around that apartment together? It hadn't taken long for him to realise his worries were entirely unneeded. Having Prompto around eventually had a positive effect on the Prince – with Ignis catching the two of them completing otherwise forgotten homework on more than one occasion.

It was just a shame the blonde had never managed to persuade Noctis to get over his picky eating habits.

The continued to walk, and judging by the time on his phone Ignis supposed a good hour or so had passed. The occasional rumble and groan from the treeline was all they heard of the daemons – having been lucky so far to stay out of their path. He just hoped such luck would continue.

So caught up in scanning the treeline as he walked, Ignis nearly failed to realise Gladio had fallen slightly behind and was moving carefully towards the water's edge.

"Gladio?" Ignis questioned, perking an eyebrow over at the Shield's back as he watched him lean down to retrieve something from the crevice between rocks.

Closing the distance between them Ignis stopped just aside him to inspect the item in his hands. Even in the low light of the torches, it was all too familiar.

"Shit.." Gladio frowned.

In his hands sat Prompto's gun, clearly drawn from subspace but never returned. Gladio wasted no time in flicking the barrel open to check the bullets. Prompto hadn't been carrying the gun when he'd jumped from the bridge which meant he'd summoned it afterwards.

Sure enough, one of the bullets was missing.

"Looks like the kid shot something." Gladio murmured as he let his gaze run up and down the immediate shoreline. "No footsteps around. Looks like it washed up here on its own."

Ignis hoped his expression didn't portray the growing concern he felt. "Regardless, this means we're at least heading in the right direction." Taking the gun from Gladio's grasp, he released it in a flash of blue sparks. Hopefully Prompto wouldn't have further need of a weapon – but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Let's go." And with that, Gladio was off again. Ignis followed shortly behind. The tension in the air was almost crushing.

OOOOOOO

Noctis wasn't sure how long they'd been walking. Nor was he sure if he could call what his sloppy and awkward steps 'walking' at all. Leaning heavily on Prom, his left leg dragged almost uselessly as the two carefully made their way through a seemingly bushes. The ground underneath was hard and ragged and near impossible to walk on in the darkness. The pain in his side was becoming unbearable but he didn't dare look down at it for fear of losing his footing.

Gladio was going to kill him for this. That reckless warp into the middle of the fray had ultimately left him separated from the group.

"Hanging in there, bud?" For the fifth time that minute, or at least that's what it felt like, Prompto directed a question towards him. His light tone was entirely forced and even Noct could see through it. Neither of them were coping.

"Yeah." He decided on a simple response, not trusting himself to slur in his speech. All his body wanted to do was sleep right now. It should have been a familiar feeling but in all honesty whatever exhaustion it was trying to lure him into wasn't one he would wake easy from.

Something must have sounded off in his voice as Prompto slowed his steps slightly and cast his azure gaze over at him. He didn't seem convinced, furrowing his brow briefly before returning his attention to the landscape ahead.

With a laugh, a terribly forced on at that, Prom continued to talk. "Like seriously, she's a goddess of machines, angel of tinkerers! You should really see the photograph I managed to snap the other day, totally epic!"

Noctis couldn't quite work out what had gotten Prompto in such a mood where he'd spent the last several minutes blabbering on about whatever came to mind. His own thoughts were elsewhere right now and thus the blonde's speech was nothing but a dull drone in the distance.

He was cold.

And all he wanted to do was sleep.

For a moment he couldn't entirely recall _why_ they were out in the middle of the wilderness in the first place. Something to do with a bridge?

"-print them out and put them in a book or something. That'd be totally cool, right? All our photos from this trip in one place?" Prompto was still rambling. "I mean Ignis'd probably kill me if I used our budget-..Noct?"

He was vaguely aware the blonde was attempting to grab his attention again. For the life of him he couldn't work out why Prompto was so concerned-..

That was until his legs gave way completely. The world jerked awkwardly to the side as slumped to the ground vaguely aware of Prompto shifting his weight in order to lower him down. Had he tripped? He couldn't quite understand why he'd tripped. Or why they were out here in the first place.

All he wanted was to be back in the warmth of the Citadel.

It was only then that Noctis realised just how cold he was. Shivers wracked his body accompanied with a newfound disorientation. He weakly tried to murmur a protest as Prompto brushed his bangs aside to press a hand against his forehead.

His words were nothing but an incoherent mumble as he tried to push the intrusive hand away.

Sleeping felt like such a good idea right now.

"..-ct, c'mon bud-.. -ay with me." Prompto's words were falling in and out of focus, as was his vision of the flustered and worried male above him.

Just five minutes of sleep and he'd feel good as new.

Prompto's tone had turned somewhat to a frantic beg, which only further confused him. Was sleeping such a bad idea?

Roughly, he was pulled back up to his feet. Prompto had a renewed hold on him as he forced the two of them forward through the foliage once more. Despite the nagging need to rest Noct tried to focus on the quick and panicked rambles of his friend, catching the occasional bits of his monologue here and there.

The rain continued to thrash down on both of them, leaving the Prince absently aware that his clothes were sodden against his skin. His teeth were chattering uncontrollably and his steps were just as heavy and awkward with his injured leg.

Injured?

How had that happened again?

Gladio had berated him only recently about warping to escape the confines of the Citadel. Perhaps that's what this was. Had he tried to sneak out again? But then, why was Prompto with him?

OOOOOOOOO

"And I mean, I haven't had one of those desserts you had Iggy make in _ages._ What were they called again?" Prompto hummed, glancing to Noct beside him as they walked. Or well, as he walked – he was practically carrying the Prince by this point.

No response. Though he seemed to still be conscious.

"Yeah buddy, I can't remember either. Some kind of totally awesome flaky dessert. Like, that could be the name. 'awesome flaky dessert'."

He'd only just stopped to check on Noct – although not by choice, more he'd been forced to as Noct had all but collapsed - and the result had been anything from encouraging. The raven-haired male aside him was shivering horrendously and a mere palm to his forehead had confirmed Prompto's worst fears: he was frozen to the touch. They needed to get out of this dreaded rain and to warmth as soon as possible.

"Probably a good thing Iggy ain't here right now, he'd kill me for losing my gun back there. Hopefully it didn't cost much- Oh Six, I bet it did. I can add debt onto treason, right? I mean, what's one more crime to the Crown."

He was running out of topics.

Instead, the blonde began to pass the time – and keep Noctis awake – by humming whatever songs came to his mind. Chocobo tunes, RPG victory themes, he even went as far as to sing the Kings Knight theme under his breath. As important as it was to make sure Noct kept walking, he wasn't about to risk lullabying a daemon onto their scent.

Eventually they broke free from the foliage and Prompto had to stop himself from cheering in absolute relief. Ahead of the two was what appeared to be a crevasse in the rock-face of the cliff. Not deep enough for daemons to be lurking, but deep enough to provide cover from the rain.

"Good news! No more rain, bad news- I'm claustrophobic. The things I do for you pal.." Prompto trailed off, grinning.

Or at least, until he realised his companion had entirely stopped shivering. Prompto wasn't as strong as Gladio by any account, but it was becoming increasingly obvious just how much he was having to hold Noctis up.

"Still with me?"

No response.

"C'mon buddy, what did I say about napping?"

Silence.

Reaching the crevasse he carefully squeezed the two of them inside. Thankfully it seemed to open up a bit into space on the other side. He could feel his heart pounding dangerously in his chest as he led Noctis down against the stone wall. He was still breathing, but his breathes were coming short and shallow.

Warmth. Prompto remind himself – through hazy and frantic thoughts. He needed to create warmth. Oh Six what he'd give for a firaga flask about now..

He didn't want to leave Noct but he also didn't want him to quite literally freeze to death either. Slipping back out of the crevasse he quickly crossed the distance to the first tree he could find. Silently begging forgiveness from Ignis, he retrieved the retainer's daggers from the armiger and began to hack it into the wood of the tree. The outer layers of bark were sodden with rain, but the further he dug the blade into the tree, the more chance he had of digging out the dry wood.

It felt like a lifetime, though in reality had been but a few minutes, before the blonde squirmed his way back into the crevasse. Making a beeline for Noct he was relieved to see that the Princes condition at least hadn't worsened. Dropping the wood down in the centre of the small cavern, he dismissed Ignis' blades.

Prompto began to make quick work on a fire – rather glad they'd managed to sneak a few survival items into the armiger before. That included matches. A flask would have worked better, but storing something as volatile as that in the subspace wasn't the smartest idea – as Ignis had pointed out.

He was so focused on getting the fire going – saving his friend - that he didn't notice the pair of glowing yellow eyes in the darkness of the cavern.


	6. A Moment of Respite

**Kinnnda trying something a little different here with the P.O.V**

 **Lemme' know how it goes!**

Although he wouldn't ever dare admit such to the chef, the soup tasted stale in the Shield's mouth; though whether that was from the cooking or merely as a result of the pit of worry currently residing in his stomach, he was unsure. After a good hour of walking in the darkness, the two had finally come across a Haven and taken rest there. A good thing too, really, as the groans and creaks of Daemons were apparent even over the crackle of the fire. Taking one last look at the bowl in his hands, Gladio set it aside and shook his head.

"Damn near impossible to eat." He frowned, the irritation in his tone of voice causing Ignis to raise his gaze from his own bowl. "Can't stop thinking about the mess those two have gotten themselves in to."

"Dwelling on the past will do nothing but cast doubt in your mind, Gladio. There is little we can do for them if we cross paths with the Daemons." Ignis concluded, though even he had to admit he wanted nothing more than to charge off downstream once more. There had been an instance earlier that evening where he'd failed to draw his daggers from the Armiger; an instance that had lasted merely a few moments. Worry had set in before the realisation. Someone had drawn them from the Armiger already – though whether it had been Noctis or Prompto, he couldn't know.

It didn't matter. It was hope.

"We should have seen it. All those hunts and barely any rest only pushed Noct to his limits. As his Shield I should have been fast-"

"If either of us could read his Highness' mind then our jobs would certainly be a lot easier. Alas, he has a habit of keeping his thoughts and struggles under lock and key – something both of us had to learn the hard way in Insomnia." Ignis cut him off mid-sentence, briefly casting his mind back to an argument he'd had with Noctis over neglecting his duties in the city. "What happened today was no one's fault. It was simply a bad set of circumstances."

"Or our Etros-damned luck."

"Yes, that too."

Silence fell over the unusually empty camp as the two resumed their un-appetising dinner; desperately willing dawn to break faster.

OOOOOOO

The second time he returned to the cavern, Prompto wasn't surprised to see that Noctis hadn't awoken. Hair sodden and soaked through, he clutched a water bottle in his hands as he stepped into the crevasse.

For once in his life Prompto actually wished that Noct could sleep through anything; because if he had to hear the same yell of agony twice in one day he wasn't going to forgive himself. The fire crackled away in the centre of the small cavern, providing just enough light to illuminate the immediate area but not too much as to attract any unwanted attention from the local wildlife. Prompto crouched himself down in front of his best friend – who hadn't woken since his brief stumble in the woods earlier that evening.

Shrugging free of his vest Prompto bundled it up into a makeshift pillow; setting it down on the ground. With that done he leaned forward and carefully shifted Noctis' weight into his arms before lying the Prince down against the stone and resting his head atop the aforementioned jacket. He was still deathly pale but the new warmth of the fire had put an end to both their shivering.

Or he hoped it was that at least.

It took him a moment to muster up the courage to continue; honestly attempting the 'what would Iggy do' train of thought in his mind.

"Now would be a really good time to hear some of those bad treason jokes again, buddy.." He murmured, prying Noct's shirt up whilst moving to undo the make-shift tie of his belt that currently held his bloodstained jacket against the Prince's wound.

He carefully began to pull it free before his mouth dropped open involuntarily at the sight underneath.

Prompto hadn't seen the fight on the bridge – having been too caught up with his own battles – but he could imagine what had caused such a mess. Two jagged tears ran up his pale and burned side; alongside several smaller puncture wounds where the electrified blade had latched onto and into its victim. The bleeding had long since been stemmed, yet the wound still appeared angry and incredibly dusted with the dirt and grit of the forest.

He looked to the bottle of water.

And back to the wound.

Water.

Wound.

His free hand clenched and unclenched at his side in emotional preparation for what he was about to do.

It would be easy, right? Rinse the wound, replace his horrendously make-shift bandages with even moreso horrendously make-shift bandages, wait for help to arrive.

Three simple steps.

Three simple steps where he had no doubt Noctis wasn't going to stay unconscious.

"Ookay buddy, if you're going to scream, let's do it quietly… right." He wasn't sure if he was addressing Noctis or himself with that reassuring suggestion.

Uncapping the bottle of water – rain water was the best he'd been able to do – he gently began to rinse the water over the wound whilst dabbing the grit away using a corner of his jacket. Or well, that was how the blonde had expected things to go. What he hadn't expected was the sudden jerk as Noct woke; eyes immediately and hazily locking onto him as he cried out. One hand reached in a desperate attempt to stop him from pressing the material against the wound again; the Prince's chest heaving with the agony that was more than obvious on his expression.

"Fuck! Prom- Q-.. Quit it!" Noctis swore, only to find his hand pinned by the flustered and panicked blonde above him.

"Sorry buddy! But this is seriously for your own good!" He could feel the grip on his arm lessen and continued to babble on. "Besides, I'd still -really- like to avoid you dying on me; Iggy would literally roast me. And I don't mean a quick 'throw it in the oven' roast, we're talking slow roast here. Real slow."

The groan that left Noctis' lips wasn't that of physical pain, but more of a mental variety as he processed the blondes stream of terrible puns. Nonetheless, he tried to relax back against the cold stone beneath him and focused his attention on trying to recall why exactly he was now led in an unknown cave with the gunslinger fussing over him. It wasn't easy to do; each movement of the material wiping his side left him clenching his grasp futilely against the ground beneath.

Without warning, Prompto pressed the jacket entirely back down on the wound – moving a hand to grab the previously discarded belt to hold it in place.

Noctis felt the world spin almost immediately and closed his eyes against the sickening feeling. There should have been a lot more pain, but honestly, he just felt numb and cold.

Very cold.

Finally, Prompto rocked back on his heels as he stared down at Noct; a small silence falling over the cavern.

"Still awake there?" He asked, gaze flickering over the Prince's ragged breaths and furrowed brow.

A second passed before Noct forced his eyes open once more, attempting to focus on Prom. "Mm, barely. Mind sitting me up?"

The hesitation was clear on Prompto's expression at the suggestion, but the blonde seemed to concede anyway. "Yeah sure, just take it easy – alright?" He wasn't entirely convinced that sitting Noct up was the smartest idea; he didn't want to further anger the wounds. Carefully he leaned forward and helped him sit against the stone wall – his face creased in worry as he fidgeted; hand clenching and unclenching with uncertainty.

The silence drew out and Prompto resorted to tugging at his wristband and averting his gaze to the ground. This whole mess had been his fault; if he'd been paying even the slightest bit of attention then Noctis wouldn't have had to have intervened on the bridge. It had been stupid of him to allow one of the MT units to fall out of his line of sight; giving the machine an opening like that. Part of him wished Noct hadn't noticed and he'd been struck by it instead – at least then they'd have been able to grab some potions from the Regalia and would have avoided a near-watery demise.

"-om? You listening?" Noctis' words snapped his attention back to reality.

"Uh, yeah, sorry. Zoned out." He admitted awkwardly; though Noct didn't repeat whatever he'd been saying.

Prompto raised his gaze once more, taking in the pale parlour of his friend's skin; the way he sat slightly hunched with one arm wrapped carefully around the wounded side. This was entirely his fault. Noctis was clearly struggling to keep himself awake – eyelids occasionally drooping before he caught himself in the act and opened them with renewed effort. There was something unsettling about the idea of letting Noct drift back off into sleep again, so the blonde sat himself down opposite and pulled his camera free from his trouser pocket (thank god for clips, or he'd have lost it to the river).

"Camera takes after Cor. Just as immortal-.." Noctis paused to cough, grimacing at the movement. "Just as immortal as he is."

Prompto couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah dude, probably just as ancient too." That brought a smirk to the Prince's lips.

Before they had left Insomnia, Prompto had managed to save up a considerable amount from his part time job; allowing him to purchase a rather old but resilient camera. He was pretty sure he could throw the thing into a volcano and it would still come out looking as pristine as ever.

Fumbling with the buttons as he switched it on, he settled it down in his lap with the screen facing Noctis as he began to cycle through the photographs. It was an attempt to keep him awake; but also served as a distraction from his own guilt-ridden thoughts. With each new photo that flickered up on the screen, Prompto recalled some anecdote or another as to why he'd taken the snap.

"Go back one?" Noctis asked, interrupting a rather interesting tale about the cactaur that had designated Gladio as its pin cushion.

Prompto blinked before flicking back to the photograph prior. It was a simple shot of Gladio and Ignis at the campsite; a snap Prompto had taken whilst testing lighting and filters – there wasn't anything too special about it.

Or there hadn't been originally. Noctis' gaze was furrowed in confusion as he looked groggily down at the image; to the point where Prompto finally gave in and turned the camera the right way around so he could see what the fuss was about.

Right in the middle of the image in the distance sat a small white fox-cat-dog-animal.

"Woah, dude! Where'd that come from?!" Prompto exclaimed loudly; briefly forgetting their situation and offering an apologetic grin as Noctis winced.

"Looks like you got lucky – snapping one of the Astrals on camera." Noctis smirked, rather enjoying the look of amazement that shone on Prompto's features.

"That things an Astral?! Sweet! I mean, it's not as big as the others, sure! But damn, that's so cool!" The blonde rambled on for a moment, staring intently down at the screen at the little creature. "What's it called?"

"Carbuncle."

"Who'da' thought, hanging out with you allows Astrals to grace my camera with their presence." Prompto hummed, grinning away.

"Astrals, and mechanical grease-goddesses." Noctis corrected; all too amused as a flush of pink spread across the blonde's freckles at the suggestion.

"Aw c'mon pal, I didn't just commit treason so you could sit here and bully me." Prompto huffed, sheepishly moving to rub the back of his neck with his hand.

"You realise treason would be killing me, kidnapping me, maiming me-.. Not kiss-"

" _DUDE_! Don't even use that word!"

"-.. resuscitating me." Noct corrected himself; although he was only taunting the blonde in order to get a reaction. Maybe he'd hit his head on the way down or something.

A brief silence fell over the two once more as Prompto shifted uncomfortably. Noctis carefully leaned his head back against the stone wall behind him, a small groan leaving his lips at the movement.

"Thanks though."

Prompto blinked, looking up. Noctis had closed his eyes, but the awkward scowl was more than prominent on his expression.

"It was nothing, seriously. I enjoy throwing myself off of bridges for a morning dip." Prompto chuckled, shaking his head as he looked down at the camera once more. Slowly he began to flick through each image whilst occasionally glancing up at the seemingly resting Prince. The photographs ranged in subject but most seemed to be focused around the hunts they'd furfilled in the past few days.

Ignis impaling an oversized wasp whilst Gladio cleaved it's head from its-.. did wasps have shoulders?

Noct warp-striking a Saberclaw from above, a shine of blue and white lights in his wake.

Gladio and Noct attempting Kenny's 'all-you-can-eat-bazaar' at one of the local diners. Noct had fries shoved in his mouth, whilst Gladio tried to chew his way through an overfilled burger.

He could have easily kept flicking through the photos forever; but a rather out of place sound drew him back to reality as he looked up.

Back to reality and face to face with the barrel of his Quicksilver in Noctis' shaking hand.

He barely had time to register what was going on before the ear-splitting shot resounded throughout the cavern as the Prince pulled the trigger. Prompto practically fell backwards; expecting to feel an incredible amount of pain from -somewhere- on his body. But there was nothing.

There was however a stomach-churning screech as the Goblin that had been stood mere inches behind the blonde fell backwards into the fire and subsequently set itself alight. With the firewood and fire scattered suddenly across the cave in its panic, the light immediately began to fade from existence.

Just before the last embers succumbed to the cold of the stone beneath, the blonde managed to make a quick headcount of the approaching glowing eyes. There was a flash of light from behind him as Noctis sent the Quicksilver back to the Armiger; allowing Prompto to call it to his grasp as he backed up and put himself between the injured Prince and the oncoming Goblins.

"What can I say, it wouldn't be a creepy cave without some creepy Goblins." Prompto joked, entirely under his breath. He could feel Noct tense behind him; but both of them knew he was in no condition to fight.

Gun in hand, he crouched carefully against the floor with one arm outstretched protectively in front of his best friend.

"Dude, next time you want to go swimming. Let's not. Ever."

Golden glowing eyes snapped open through the darkness, and before he knew it the Goblins descended on them both.


	7. Skinny-Dipping

All it had taken was the distant sound of a gunshot for Ignis' stomach to lurch involuntarily at two realisations. Firstly, that shot was so familiar by now that he knew exactly which gun – which Chocobo-fanatic – it had come from. Secondly; the only reason anyone would be shooting a gun off in the dead of night was if they were in danger. It had been barely audible over the crackle of the fire in front of him, but the moment it sounded his head snapped up and his eyes desperately searched over the horizon.

"Hell, that was-" Gladio started, only to be cut off as Ignis got to his feet rather abruptly.

Sure enough, there was no chance of mistaking that gun for anything else.

"Quickly, Gladio!" The Advisor frowned, moving swiftly to the edge of the Haven before dropping down and continuing his sprint in the direction he'd heard the shot. Daemons be damned, neither of them were going to ignore what they'd just heard. Gladio didn't waste any time in catching up to Ignis and the pair of them continued downstream before arching their direction into the surrounding woods.

Even he had to admit his lungs were burning almost immediately from the strain. Pools of oozing black sludge formed on many occasions around the pair as they ran; but neither even dared stop for a moment to take on an unwanted foe. Luckily, Iron Giants and the like weren't known for their quick pace, just their hard hit. Thus, by the time the Daemons had pulled themselves free from the ground, there was nothing left to attack.

Attempting to retrieve his daggers from the Armiger was futile- someone was already using them. Instead, Ignis settled on drawing his lance from it instead. Gladio summoned his greatsword forth, occasionally slicing through an unsuspecting Flan but otherwise continuing onwards with sure-fast determination.

More gunshots rang throughout the air; seeming more desperate and less aimed. But it wasn't that which managed to catch their attention. No, it was the sudden flash of blue – a strike like lightning – from the cliffs a short distance away.

Noctis had summoned the Armiger.

OOOOOOOOOO

Bright golden eyes were immediately accompanied by a dreadful onslaught of clawed hands as the first group of Goblins dropped down from the stalagmites that hung over the injured pair. Prompto tightened his grip around his gun, letting his finger brush against the trigger; his mind was already reeling at the possibilities of action. He could serve as a distraction, but didn't quite trust Noct to escape the cave and leave him behind. Perhaps there were less golden eyes above them than he'd previously counted-... No, a quick glance was enough to prove that theory wrong.

 _I really screwed up this time._

The thought struck him and he immediately forced it back down; true or not, now wasn't the time for distractions or guilt. Raising his gun forward with the pure determination of protecting Noct – who had taken the pause to draw a dagger from the Armiger – he pulled the trigger.

One Goblin went down in a fit of screeches, striking the floor and rolling about before presumably fizzling away into nothing but smoke and dust.

Prompto didn't have time to check.

Two more charged forward even as one fell and although Prompto managed to shoot the nearest one; he wasn't going to be as lucky twice. The second Goblin was on him in moments, pushing the blonde down to the ground and subsequently causing him to fall on the Prince behind him.

"Prom!" Noct breathed out, pain lining his tone as he shoved the dagger forward towards the blonde who was now half-collapsed on him under the assault of the laughing creature.

"On it!" Prompto groaned, clasping his hand around the offered dagger before embedding it in the Goblins chest with an unnecessary amount of force. Noct made a grab for the Quicksilver out of Prompto's hand and shot into the darkness of the cave where another Goblin had dropped down. He'd never been a perfect shot, but the attack seemed to stun that particular Goblin long enough for Prompto to trade their weapons back; swiftly pulling the trigger again as a bullet cracked through the air and struck the creature square between its eyes.

In any other situation, they'd have been high-fiving such teamwork.

Pulling himself off of Noct, he offered an arm out to him. "Up we go! Can't hang around here." Even he noticed just how obviously his tone was dripping urgency. He didn't dare look back with the approaching Goblins practically on top of them.

Swapping the dagger to his free hand Noctis pushed himself to his feet and allowed the blonde to support him as he stood; wrapping one arm around his shoulder and the other around his own stomach. Prompto could tell that the wound to his side was nothing short of excruciating agony despite his prior attempts to ignore it and keep the mood light. He was also aware that each gunshot he fired off on the oncoming Goblins echoed through the cavern and only further pained Noct's growing headache.

Slowly and carefully the two began to trace along the back wall of the cavern towards the crevasse of quite _literal_ freedom. Noct's pants were heavy and he was leaning nearly all his weight onto Prompto, meaning the blonde was practically carrying him rather than merely supporting him. With one arm pre-occupied on keeping him on his feet, the other still held the gun out in front of him as he dispatched Goblins one by one.

Every now and again the trigger would click and the round would come up empty; forcing Prompto to reload. It wasn't quite a physical reload. More of a flick it open, will bullets from the Armiger, and continue.

He supposed even the Crystal could supply a timely-endless stream of bullets without delay.

Prompto had always been a damn good shot with a gun, something he occasionally wondered whether it was to do with his origins. The code on his wrist was more than enough proof that he'd never truly belonged in Lucis.

 _He hadn't really belonged anywhere really. And here he was, failing to protect his best friend from a situation he'd gotten them in to._

A flash of blue skirting past his vision was enough to snap him back to his senses as he faltered. Noct had thrown one of the daggers forward; twisting his body with the motion – no doubt causing himself pain in the process. It skewered one of the smaller Goblins before returning to the Armiger.

"Dude, how 'bout you let me play hero for a moment, kay?" Prompto chuckled, though his tone was entirely devoid of humour.

"…Can't let you have all the fun." Noct quipped, smirking up at him through unfocused vision.

They were nearly at the crevasse.

And that was where everything went wrong.

Only a mere few steps from freedom. It was ironic really.

The world lurched awkwardly as Prompto felt himself fall forward, unfortunately pulling Noct down with him as the two crashed unceremoniously to the ground. The moment his body collided with the hard rock beneath, it felt as if a Garula had stepped on, stepped off, stampeded, and jumped on him. Choking on gasps of breath, the Quicksilver span out of his grasp across the floor ahead and into the midst of oncoming Goblins before dissolving in crystallised blue light. Fear built up in his stomach as he rolled to his side to try and get a look at what had knocked him down.

This only brought him face to face with two Goblins who had jumped down from the darkness above. Since when did Goblins possess the smarts to attack from behind? Apparently, they did now.

Hilariously it wasn't even his own safety that worried him now.

Noct had fallen less than a metre away and was desperately trying to get up to his hands and knees as he swiped a dagger out at the Goblins which had begun to encircle him.

Pain sparked through Prompto from his legs as one claws raked down it and he was tugged in rag-doll fashion over the stone. Kicking hard out at the offending Daemon he summoned his gun back to his grasp and fired off at it; the shot missed but at least caused it to flinch and shrink back. Others soon took its place and he rolled over onto his stomach.

Crying out in a mixture of frustration and pain as more claws dug into the skin of his back, he rose the gun once more in front of him. Only this time he wasn't aiming at his own assailants. Pulling down on the trigger, his hands shook as the gun fired.

The bullet hit its mark: tearing through one of the Goblins that had been about to jump down on Noctis from the cavern roof. The body hit the ground hard and gave the Prince enough time to get to his knees and-…

In a bright flash of light, it was as if dawn itself had broken on the cave.

Immediately the cavern was filled with every shade of blue and silver you could imagine, all darting around like crystallised petals in an unseen breeze. It was a breath-taking sight. The weapons that spun around the Crown Prince's body seemed almost elegant for the moment; startling the Goblins nearest that scampered backwards.

Slowly he rose a hand.

And that previously serene light rained down on the Daemons violently. In that moment, Noctis had thrown himself over to Prompto – two blades of light slicing through the Goblins that had been assaulting his back. Even where he led, he could feel the odd oozing sensation soaking his skin and the stone beneath him.

With the Armiger depleted, it wasn't long before those Goblins that had scurried off to survive returned.

Prompto was vaguely aware of Noctis hunched over him, using his own body as a shield whilst parrying the claws and swipes from the Daemons. His expression was pained yet determined, flinching each time a strike fell down upon him. More light exploded through the cave as a Firaga spell lit up a group towards the back; by this point Noctis was near led on him from fatigue.

"-..mp-..o!" He felt as if he was underwater, his vision swimming and hearing nothing more than inaudible buzzing. The gun slipped from his hand as disappeared back to the subspace of which it had come.

Sleeping felt like a really good idea right now.

Someone was rolling him over onto his back. Either the cavern had fallen entirely silent by now, or his hearing had finally given out to the incessant drone. The hands on him were rough, strong. The blonde found himself staring bleary-eyed up at several faces now; rather than just Noctis.

"I'm fine! Help Pr-.." His vision spun, but he could vaguely make out the words being spoken around him.

"Can't-… tay here.." Came a deeper voice. Gladio?

Relief rushed through him. They'd managed to hold out long enough for Gladio and Ignis to find them. Sleeping suddenly felt like a better idea than before; sleeping without the worry of Noctis' safety with the two now there to protect him.

Better than he could, apparently.

A hand shook at him, another tapping against his cheek. "-..ou hear me?" It sounded like Ignis. "Don't-.. all.. leep."

It was too late to do otherwise. Black spots danced around his vision as a low moan of pain left his body. Rather gratefully, he let darkness take him.

OOOOOOOO

Something warm heated his cheek as Prompto came to sometime later. It wasn't burning, but certainly held enough heat for him to squirm uncomfortably against it; eyes opening a fraction to investigate – only to be blinded by the sunlight that was slowly torturing his head. A groan left his lips as his vision focused on the familiar sight of the inside of a tent over him. Sunlight cascaded through the slightly parted flap; which was the cause of his previous discomfort apparently. Attempting to sit up was met with a rather unusual barrier, to say the least. Something heavy was restricting his movement, practically trapping him down against the sleeping bag he was currently resting atop of. Turning his head and peering through unkempt blonde fringe, a tug of a smile touched at his lips seeing Noctis practically led on top of him – still fast asleep and entirely oblivious to their current situation.

Unfortunately, with his newfound consciousness, it didn't take long for the pain to return either. His back was the worst; searing hot streaks of white pain assaulting him the moment he cast his mind to notice them. It didn't help that His Royal Lazyness was currently sprawled out over him, either. The raven-haired males shirt was slightly hitched up at his waist, revealing bandages underneath. Prompto couldn't help but sigh in relief; those injuries had scared him half to death - but elixirs were literally miracles.

"Uh-.." Prompto coughed, his voice sounding far more croaky and dry than usual. "Dude. Noct."

No response.

"Noooooct." He whined, attempting to pull himself free underneath the dozing Prince's arm. Apparently, that was enough movement to actually bring the male back to the waking world – as two silvery blue eyes hazily blinked over at him.

"Dude."

There was a pause as Noctis -still- didn't move, although the look on his expression was clearly waiting for Prompto to continue. Behind that though... There was something else. Relief?

"You're er-.. Crushing me. Like, seriously next-level Gladio crushing me." Despite his best attempts, his voice betrayed just how much pain that was causing him. Rather quickly, Noct shuffled over and moved off of him – hiding his expression somewhat as he huffed.

"Not my fault you took up half the tent."

"What can I say? I like to spread this awesomene-" He'd have finished that sentence, if it wasn't for a very well thrown pillow landing across his face. Courtesy of Noctis, of course. Raising a hand to swat it away, Prompto finally attempted to sit himself up.

Joking aside, Noct swiftly moved to help him do so. The pain wasn't unbearable, but it certainly wasn't pleasant either. As if sensing his discomfort, Noctis shoved a potion into his palm.

"We're out of elixirs, but it should help." He announced, sitting back once he was certain Prompto wasn't going to topple over.

"But you-" Prompto started.

"Already downed some. Hurts, but I'll live."

Taking and uncapping the potion with a brief nod, he rather hurriedly gulped the contents down; feeling the sensation of pain subsiding somewhat on his back near immediately.

Silence briefly overcame the tent before:

"Thanks."

Prompto blinked at the word, looking over to Noct; who had currently decided to focus his gaze intently on his ruined phone in his hands. A moment passed before Noct glanced over in his direction, elaborating on his words.

"For saving me. Thanks, Prom." He concluded.

"Sure. Just er, promise me one thing buddy?"

"What?"

"No more skinny-dipping, like, ever."

Noctis snorted with laughter, shaking his head.

"Yeah, never again."

 **How'd you all find it? :D My first completed multi-chapter fanfic!**  
 **Hopefully everythings alright with this chapter, sort of lost my mojo whilst trying to write it up ;w;**  
 **Thinking of doing a highschool Prompto and Noctis fic next! (With some kind of danger because I'm a sod like that, ofc.)**


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